There are often bands that doesen't fit in any ganres, and I
often wonder how to describe some bands... This thread is here to clear it up...
Try not to use any difficult-neverbefore heard-subgenres like toothbrushing-poetic-bongo bongo metal...
What does Wintersun exactly play, extreme power metal doesn't describe them that good...
Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, hmmm wierd, haven't found any better describing word...

I do count Wintersun as Extreme Power. I think it does really fit them.. I never heard Die Apo Reiter..

Not very fond of Wintersun, but I'll go with Nervel. Extreme Power fits them just fine in my mind

Just can't find the much power in them... Extreme, maybe yes but they do not sound like CoB,Norther etc. THE extreme power metal bands... Die apokalyptischen Reiter mix all the genres into something.. wierd...
http://www.reitermania.de/ samples there, (downloads---->music) Try "Unter der Asche" :...

Well I see where you guys are going and yes maybe some bands don't even have a genre because they want to be unique and they don't want to be categorize,and I understand that ..other bands use so many elements like they change their style in each album that is impossible to say what they are , uhmm I'm tired of labelign bands and stuff I just have found each band has something different I mean yeah I know that they have their similarities and this is what makes them fit into the genre but well like Wintersun , they have an unique sound so some say is black/death/folk/epic metal but not they are wintersun ...

about Die apokalyptischen Reiter , if you hear they have many styles incorporated and well some people say they are this type of power metal other disagree ...but well like I said they stick out because they have their unique sound , so many bands put a bunch of styles together and come with their own ideas ....

and well others bands too , Like Cradle of filth , so say is extreme gothic , other Black metal ect maybe they are both maybe they are neither , but we know their sound ....

@Icewings, good point... but there are stil use of genres... it's alot easier to describe a band if you have genres... Like saying, it's melo-death, and then everybody knows what it is... The problem is that everybody uses different explanations for genres... There are people saying that CoB and In Flames are melo-death and those who say that they are absolutley not... I can't remember how many times me and my friends have kept timlessly arguing, is Moonsorrow Folk-black or Black-folk :...

Written by Destryphior on 29.05.2006 at 21:48

@Icewings, good point... but there are stil use of genres... it's alot easier to describe a band if you have genres... Like saying, it's melo-death, and then everybody knows what it is... The problem is that everybody uses different explanations for genres... There are people saying that CoB and In Flames are melo-death and those who say that they are absolutley not... I can't remember how many times me and my friends have kept timlessly arguing, is Moonsorrow Folk-black or Black-folk :...

Hi my dear , yes I understand you and I know is necessary for us to understand more about the music , it is indeed really importat but it also causes problems like you were telling me , this is why Y said there's bands that just fit into so many things that they are just that band and well maybe the other problem is the Sub-genres ...so well as for Moonsorrow , I think they are Blafofobla LOL just kidding , and well it has happen with Opeth too , I think they are progressive with death metal influences but some people discuss to me that they are Death ..so well it just complicated ....

@Destryphior. I can clearly hear the Power influences.

Don't be fooled by some screams, same with CoB and others, I can hear very much power metal riffing in Wintersun's music. Don't know how to 'explain' it too you, though.

Then what about Ajattara? Melodic black metal comes pretty close, but I think they are more than that. Antakaa Elää sounds different from something like Mourning Palace.

Written by Lucas on 01.06.2006 at 12:34

@Destryphior. I can clearly hear the Power influences.

Don't be fooled by some screams, same with CoB and others, I can hear very much power metal riffing in Wintersun's music. Don't know how to 'explain' it too you, though.

Probably the guitar and drum riffs I hear a lot of power as well ..and I was watching the video they have in youtube and yes I can hear as well ....

Wintersun may be cathegorised as extreme power metal, but, what is theystarted something innovating, something new . i mean, in the 70s industrial metal, wasn't yet a concept, but now it is...maybe they are road-openers, for a new genre

Wintersun didn't really create anything new...
They just merged structure of power and viking metal. It happened before (Ensiferum, Turisas), they're just the first ones who used "extreme power metal" in such connection.

Id like to know where Katatonia fit in now. Ive heard some say they are 'Rock' where i see them still in the Melodic metal.

Also Amon Amarth, they have alot of Viking themes but there is alot of dispute whether they are Viking metal. I really have no clue.

PM me or what ever because this is something id like to see other peoples opinions on where these two bands fit.

Written by Xtreme Jax on 03.06.2006 at 17:00

Also Amon Amarth, they have alot of Viking themes but there is alot of dispute whether they are Viking metal. I really have no clue.

They're Melodeath... Their newest releases have some viking metal elements so they could be called Viking/Melodeath Metal... But that's if you want to go into details.
All in all it's much better to just call them melodeath (with respect to their whole discography).

Witnersun are mellodeath. They're just considerably more mature and intelligent than 'huh huh swearing and anger is cool' bands like chidlren of bodom.

Power metal MUST have primarily clean singing to be power metal (3 Inches of Blood should die) otherwise it's mellodeath

Written by Guest on 04.06.2006 at 00:39

Witnersun are mellodeath. They're just considerably more mature and intelligent than 'huh huh swearing and anger is cool' bands like chidlren of bodom.

Power metal MUST have primarily clean singing to be power metal (3 Inches of Blood should die) otherwise it's mellodeath

erm, dude, let me be the first one to correct you

power metal is not per se defined by singing but mostly by how the guitars are used, and those are alot diferent then in melo death, i propose you first listen to amon amarth, and then to children of bodom and tell me if the guitars sound the same, if they should sound the same then you could say that they are the same genre

Haha, thanks Bas What some people have to remember too is that when catagorising bands, two bands that are in the same style, don't necessarily have to sound exactly the same. Styles are just a sort of loose-ish catagorization and don't have to be perfect. I would say that Wintersun would be close enough to be Extreme Power Metal, or Power/Death Metal as some call it. Amon Amarth only really have Viking lyrical themes, so maybe not enough to attach the style to them. Katatonia would probably still be Doom Metal. A different Doom Metal from their post Brave Murder Day style, but still Doom none the less.

What would people call Therion these days? No one seems to be definite on this.

i personally call Therion just Symphonic Metal, how ever i suppose this can not be said for all their albums but only the ones i´ve heard as i know them to be diferent on older cds (but havent heard those myself)

On the older CDs Therion were death metal and then, as Bas2 said, they turned symphonic. Just symphonic metal.

Yeah, they were Death Metal to start with, I agree with you there. Now days though, just Symphonic Metal do you think? Some people say that you can't really get just Symphonic Metal, and that it's more of an add on. Eg Power/Symphonic, Black/Symphonic, Gothic/Symphonic, etc. Old Metal Storm used to call them Gothic/Thrash/Symphonic. Now new MS just calls it Symphonic Gothic Metal. What do you guys think?

but how about him,pantera or iced earth?
the first can be cathegorized as gothic,melodic,rock,suomi etc
but what about these two?

well, after all these years that I've been listening to Iced Earth, I still can't fit them in any style.....In this site they are Dark Heavy Metal, in others I see them as Power Metal.....My personal opinion is that they are a mix of Heavy-Power-Thrash-Death Metal....they have elements of every style...

Written by Raiden on 04.06.2006 at 14:39

Styles are just a sort of loose-ish catagorization and don't have to be perfect.

Most important sentence of this topic! Some people seem to be forgetting that.

@ Cursed.

Pantera is Thrash. Iced Earth would be Heavy, I think.

The description of Iced Earth that appealed to me most was "Thrashy Power Metal".

I'd say Iced Earth are either thrash power metal (like Nevermore) or power metal with thrash influences (like Jag Panzer, I guess). It's a little tricky.

As for Pantera, I'd say they were thrash but some people call them thrash power metal or groove metal and I'm not too sure about what the latter even is.

Written by Daru Jericho on 09.06.2006 at 18:13

I'd say Iced Earth are either thrash power metal (like Nevermore) or power metal with thrash influences (like Jag Panzer, I guess). It's a little tricky.

good point, but don't they seem to have aspects of Death Metal???
Anyway, I think they've managed to make their sound unique, than nobody can categorize it exactly....A fine Metal Mix

Written by Nightmare^ on 09.06.2006 at 18:33

Written by Daru Jericho on 09.06.2006 at 18:13

I'd say Iced Earth are either thrash power metal (like Nevermore) or power metal with thrash influences (like Jag Panzer, I guess). It's a little tricky.

good point, but don't they seem to have aspects of Death Metal???
Anyway, I think they've managed to make their sound unique, than nobody can categorize it exactly....A fine Metal Mix

Well, I certainly don't think there is anything death metal about them. But they are still a rather unique band IMO.

A unique band that has really been a great inspiration for me, my band, and generaly to the Greek metalheads....

What do Apocalyptica play?? For example the Plays Metallica, Inquisition Symphony and Cult have songs with "thrashy riffs" (can a riff apply to cellos?), not only the Metallica, Sepultura or Slayer covers, but also their own songs. But their most recent albums are slower and more symphonic.